London-based American lawyers, who specialise in tax and immigration, report a threefold increase over the last five years in the number of American citizens who are giving up their citizenship - a process known as renunciation.

Across the world 1,781 Americans renounced their citizenship in 2011 compared with just 231 in 2008, when US tax laws changed, although it remains unknown how many are adopting British rather than any other nationality.

Many decide to give up their American citizenship after tiring of the lengthy US tax return process, which requires them to pay tax on their total income regardless of where they live.

Theres no question that the number of people renouncing their US citizenship is increasing, said Diane Gelon, a US tax and immigration lawyer based in London.

This is what happens when you devalue American citizenship by giving it to illiterate people who sneak across the border and by overly taxing some wealthy or high income Americans. This makes me very sad.

The US is a big country, with a big central government and it is rapidly transitioning into a communist totalitarian state. True, the rest of the world is not that good, but the transition to tyranny in the US poses an imminent existential threat to conservative and libertarians.

I can not imagine anyone moving to the puking kingdom.
I think it is worse then the US.
I left the USSA around 2000, with no plans to return.

There is a large number of Americans moving to Central and South America.
I started out in central Europe but moved to the Philippines in 2008.
Living here is very cheap and very popular with single men from the US and Europe.

“I love my Country, and I will not turn my back on her. We will be victorious through our belief; not our doubt, despair, nor indifference.”
__________________________________________________

That is very noble of you, but I think you overlook the fact that the majority has turned its back on YOU.
With over half of the population believing that a Marxist society would be just peachy keen, you must find yourself in a real dilemma.
Both the media, and the educational system in America is against you.

Stop and think. Did the founding fathers not face a similar situation in their home countries?
Whatever....Best of luck to you.

I’ve looked everywhere. If anyone can tell me how I can give up my American citizenship while maintaining US residency, I’d love to know. I just want to give up my citizenship for legal residency. Why? I like the place, sort of, but I can’t stand being a citizen of a country where 59 million people voted for that Marxist punk. When the American people come to their senses and elect the likes of Thomas Jefferson, I’ll reapply for US citizenship.

” If anyone can tell me how I can give up my American citizenship while maintaining US residency, Id love to know.”
________________________________________________

Other then being foolish, you are opening a can of worms.
You should just leave the country and wait to see if it gets back on course.
In what country do you plan to apply for citizenship and a passport?
You had better think this out.

You are missing the point, becoming a British citizen doesn’t make you liable for British taxes. You only pay UK tax if you are actually resident in the UK, whether you are British or foreign. Whereas US citizens pay tax no matter where they are.

I am a UK citizen living overseas and I haven’t paid tax to the British in almost eight years. I have a good friend who hasn’t lived in the US or earned a penny in the US for the same length of time and he was called to the US embassy where his passport was confiscated and he was told he would not get it back until he paid tax outstanding on income he’d earned overseas but which the US tax authorities wanted.

He’d never received an iota of assistance from the US government but here they were tracking him down to SE Asia to get him to pay tax.

Many American people have a rather naive view about how “free” they are in comparison to other nations. I wouldn’t like to be a US citizen, it confers no benefits that many other nations don’t equally confer but without a lot of the hassle.

Hey Alex, I knew you would find your way here, just like me. Today, I met some semi influential people from Davao City, who would be willing to help us in any way they can. It always helps to know people.

23
posted on 03/02/2013 11:47:54 PM PST
by Mark17
(California, where English is a foreign language)

This is really no surprise. Being an American doesn't have the emotional bond it once did.

Not even close. If I was wealthy I'd "renounce" US citizenship and sign up with some other nation in a heartbeat, a nation that doesn't paint a target on your back.

It seems a long time ago now that I served proudly in the Marines under Commander-in-Chief Ronald Reagan. I was actually proud to be an American back then. Today we have a sodomized, feminized, politically correct military that continues to slide down a slop hole under an America-hating African communist. It makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

The United States of America is now nothing more than a big land mass populated by cretins, ingrates, and parasites who have absolutely no respect for the military and who vote for big government to confiscate money from their neighbors so that it may be redistributed to them in exchange for their votes. It is not an America worth defending anymore. That America no longer exists.

The parasites outnumber the hosts now, and theres no going back. America is dead. The Democrats have won.

Even the immigrants, legal and illegal, don't come to America anymore because they want to be "Americans" - - they come here to vote Democrat and steal whatever they can by proxy. It's a shame. America had a great run but nothing lasts forever.

The parasites outnumber the hosts now, and theres no going back. America is dead.The Democrats have won.

I believe you are correct sir. At the risk of being flamed, I think there is no hope for America either. We are finished as a country. I know some people are still confident we can turn this around. My opinion is, this could only happen through a civil war, so I am leaving the country soon. America was a nice experiment, but it has finally failed.

27
posted on 03/03/2013 12:59:29 AM PST
by Mark17
(California, where English is a foreign language)

It kind of depends on your income and your trade. True, the overall tax sink in the UK is certainly no better, but tax is applied differently. Depending on your circumstance, it certainly could be very worthwhile economically.

That is very noble of you, but I think you overlook the fact that the majority has turned its back on YOU. With over half of the population believing that a Marxist society would be just peachy keen, you must find yourself in a real dilemma.

Both the media, and the educational system in America is against you.

The answer to that is to persuade the majority to feel otherwise, before the facts of life catch up with the US and force them to realise they are wrong. Battles are not won by retreats. In any case, where in the world can you go to avoid greed, envy and sloth (the foundation stones of socialist systems)

I can empathise with you both. The situation is not good and getting worse, and the temptation to give up and shrug your shoulders can be very very strong. Socialism is sweet poison for the body politic. It tastes good (at first). It makes you feel good (initially). It makes you healthier and stronger (or at least it seems to). But in the end it will kill.

But just as the promises of socialism, the "fairness" and the "equality" are all just smoke and mirrors, so too is the strength of socialists. Their constant assertion that progression (their version) MUST and WILL occur is totally non verifiable. They win because of apathy and guilt and selfishness ("I'm not going to do anything because this particular issue is not my problem")

So I would urge you to reconsider, because when all is said and done, despondency is the enemy's greatest weapon.

“The answer to that is to persuade the majority to feel otherwise”
_________________________________________
That is the problem in the US.
The majority has been persuaded to let dear leader Obumbo take care of them.
As I have posted many times, the media and education K-Grad school has been taken over by the Communist.
___________________________________

“In any case, where in the world can you go to avoid greed, envy and sloth (the foundation stones of socialist systems”
___________________________________________

Greed and envy exist everywhere, but here in the Philippines there is very little government control of ANYTHING, other then immigration.
The native population views life as what God has given them.
They expect and get nothing from the government.

I’d say that’s all true, but the transition and final outcome is a threat to everyone in the world. Russia/China and all the other communist and muslim states will be able to do whatever they want with no fear of US intervention.

I can think of a number of countries I would like to check out, but Great Britain isn't one of them. In addition to a favorable tax climate, a possible target country for relocation needs to be stable, not have a runaway welfare state, and not being subject to invasion by hostile populations like Muslims.

This is really no surprise. Being an American doesn't have the emotional bond it once did.

Many of us "old timers" are still emotionally and patriotically bonded to being Americans. We are waiting for America to return to us. I fear that as the next two generations pass on, the memory will fade and the People will truly become the Sheeple and have no sense of the Freedoms and substance they have lost.

42
posted on 03/03/2013 6:09:17 AM PST
by trebb
(Where in the the hell has my country gone?)

"...still emotionally and patriotically bonded to being Americans. We are waiting for America to return to us." I too, am emotionally bonded to the country I love and served. But, in all candor, I feel it isn't coming back to us.

I recently got an email from an associate who asked, "Are you SOMEBODY?"HE went on to make several points about things that are slipping away from us and how people often say, "somebody should do something". The moral of his writing is that we have largely become a population of people waiting for someone else to act on our behalf. It's ironic since so many of us speak negatively about those who do little and expect someone else to take care of them.

While the internet has given us a great tool for communication and mobilization, the truth is most folks just use it to forward messages or jokes in the passive assumption that someone down the line may come up with the energy or an idea with which to fight back. Oddly, the majority is letting the minority succeed in taking our country away. We are letting lawlessness prevail and we are giving up our freedom.

I have a friend a few years older than me who frankly says, "I'm not going to be around long enough to worry about it. Let them wallow in the slop they're creating."

You are missing the point, becoming a British citizen doesnt make you liable for British taxes. You only pay UK tax if you are actually resident in the UK, whether you are British or foreign. Whereas US citizens pay tax no matter where they are.

Which, of course, is irrelevant for US citizens living in the UK, which is what this article discusses because the UK is a higher-tax country than the US. US citizens are eligible to claim a foreign tax credit against their domestic tax liabilities, which avoids the issue of double taxation.

Worldwide taxation prevents US citizens from mooching off the benefits of US citizenship while evading taxation as tax exiles. However, I'm reasonably sure that no US resident of the UK is there as a tax exile.

45
posted on 03/03/2013 6:52:28 AM PST
by Alter Kaker
(Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)

Simple really. Pay all of your Taxes, Apply for renunciation with the State Department, do the renunciation , apply for a court ordered name change, and then apply for a green card. You will have to NOT pay anymore taxes. Thats the trick.

LOL.

46
posted on 03/03/2013 6:54:52 AM PST
by Alter Kaker
(Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)

Greed and envy exist everywhere, but here in the Philippines there is very little government control of ANYTHING, other then immigration.

Including DEFENSE. The Philippines spends almost nothing on its own defense, preferring to ask the US taxpayer to defend its borders from regional threats. Yeah, great model there. Some things are worth spending money on, but why bother when there's someone in the neighborhood willing to bail you out?

49
posted on 03/03/2013 7:03:37 AM PST
by Alter Kaker
(Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)

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